56 pages • 1-hour read
The Poisoned King
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Background
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death.
Series Context: The World of the Glimouria Archipelago and Impossible Creatures
Katherine Rundell’s The Poisoned King is the second installment in the Impossible Creatures series, and its plot relies heavily on the world established in the first book. The series centers on the Glimouria Archipelago, a hidden magical realm populated by creatures from myth and folklore, including dragons, sphinxes, and unicorns. This world is connected to our own through secret portals known as “waybetweens.” The protagonist, Christopher Forrester, is a boy from London who discovers in the first book that his grandfather is a “guardian,” a human tasked with protecting the waybetween in Scotland.
In Impossible Creatures, Christopher is drawn into the Archipelago and develops a unique bond with its inhabitants, particularly Mal Arvorian, a girl who is the latest incarnation of the Archipelago’s immortal soul. His journey establishes him as a courageous and trustworthy ally to the magical creatures. This background is crucial for understanding the events of The Poisoned King. Christopher’s status as an “Outerlander” who has already proven his loyalty makes him the only person the great dragons feel they can trust to investigate a mysterious plague of deaths among their kind. His immediate acceptance of a dragon’s summons marks a return to a world he already knows and is committed to protecting.
At the end of Impossible Creatures, Mal Arvorian sacrifices herself to save the Archipelago, and her death remains a source of sorrow for Christopher in The Poisoned King. Teren, the baby who appears at the end of the novel, is Mal Arvorian’s successor. Teren’s joyful recognition of Christopher signifies the Immortal’s return in a new body.
Literary Context: The Bestiary Tradition in Children’s Fantasy
Katherine Rundell’s detailed descriptions of magical creatures draw on the long literary tradition of the bestiary. Medieval bestiaries, such as the famous 12th-century Aberdeen Bestiary, were illustrated compendia of animals, both real and mythological. These texts often assigned allegorical or moral significance to each creature, reflecting a worldview in which the natural world was filled with divine meaning. This tradition provides a clear precedent for the novel’s appendix, “The Guardian’s Bestiary,” which offers detailed entries on the creatures of the Glimouria Archipelago.
Rundell exemplifies how medieval bestiary tradition has been reworked for modern children’s literature. Her adaptation of the form for a contemporary audience follows examples such as Shel Silverstein’s Don’t Bump the Glump (1964) and J.K. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2001), which also draw on bestiary tradition. “The Guardian’s Bestiary” in The Poisoned King functions as a glossary while enriching the author’s world-building. Each creature is given a distinct history, temperament, and role within its ecosystem. For example, the entry on the gagana emphasizes its capacity for deep loyalty, stating, “The regard of a gagana is hard-won; but once gained, it is gained for life” (279). This description provides context for Anya’s fierce bond with her avian companions. Similarly, the crucial role of the ratatoska, Ratwin, in finding the new Immortal, is explained by the revelation that these squirrel-like creatures “know more of the world’s secrets […] than anyone else” (295). By incorporating a bestiary, Rundell engages with a literary tradition that has long explored the wisdom and wonder inherent in the nonhuman world, inviting readers to see the creatures as complex beings.
Political Context: Hereditary Rule and the Perils of Political Succession
The central conflict in The Poisoned King is driven by a classic political scenario: a violent struggle for succession within a monarchy. This dynamic, which often centers on primogeniture (the system by which the eldest legitimate son inherits the throne), has been a source of conflict throughout history. A prominent real-world parallel can be found in the intrigue surrounding King Richard III of England’s rise to the throne. After his brother, King Edward IV, died in 1483, Richard, then Duke of Gloucester, assumed custody of his two young nephews, the direct heirs to the throne. He then had the boys declared illegitimate and placed in the Tower of London, while seizing the crown for himself. This historical usurpation has fueled centuries of debate, particularly over the fate of the young princes, who disappeared while under Richard’s care. The suspicion that Richard had his nephews killed to secure his role as regent was reinforced in William Shakespeare’s history play Richard III, which portrays the former king as a murderous villain.
This historical framework illuminates the motivations of Prince Claude, the novel’s antagonist. As the younger son of King Halam, Claude embodies the archetype of the ambitious brother who covets the inherited power reserved for his older sibling. He orchestrates the murder of his father and frames Argus, justifying his treachery by claiming his brother “would have been a weak king” (250). Claude’s subsequent actions, including stealing the dragons’ gold to fund a mercenary army and attempting to assassinate his niece Anya, the next in line, demonstrate the brutal lengths to which individuals may go to secure a throne. By grounding its fantasy plot in this recognizable political reality, the novel explores timeless themes of ambition, legitimacy, and the corrupting influence of power.
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